Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey took a backseat to talent on the latest episode of “American Idol.” The two judges managed to fight, agree and throw out random quotables, but the performers in Charlotte, North Carolina stood out in so many ways that it was impossible to focus on the alleged bad blood between the two.

God Bless you, Charlotte.

The city’s performers really brought the “wow” factor, and made the snark tolerable.

Keith Urban and Randy Jackson finally seemed present at the judges table, but weren’t quite able to overshadow the big personalities of Minaj and Carey. At one point, a disagreement about a contestant’s “country thing” led to a dramatic walk off by Nicki Minaj. But, it was hard to really focus on being upset about the drama when the talent was of such high quality tonight. Heck, we don’t even mind the focus on all of the random nicknames Minaj forces upon each guest. What can you expect from a woman with so many alter egos it would take a trip to google to remember them all? Roman Zolanski anyone?

But, I digress. Let’s talk about the amazing performers tonight.

Here’s a look at a few of the contestants that stood out tonight on AI:

Brian Rittenberry

The singer belted out an unexpected performance of “Let It Be” that was powerful and got all four judges to vote yes to sending him to Hollywood. We were all worried after the contestant mentioned being banished to the basement by the wife for vocal practice?

Jimmy Smith

Smith, according to Minaj, is “popping” and mad fly. The singer with voice Minaj has been waiting to hear “all night” is headed to Hollywood.

Matthew “Cool Dude” Muse

The nicknamed bestowed on the singer tells you very little about the singer, but imagine if Aaron Neville couldn’t hit his notes. Well, then now you know how Matthew sounds and why he and his cowboy hat won’t make it to Hollywood.

Isabel Gonzalez

The judges seem to exaggerate her ability, but America loves adorability. Minaj is head over heels in love, Urban thinks she’s a natural, and Carey thinks she’s adorable. So guess what? The young Phoebe Cates-look-alike gets a golden ticket for an alleged “effortless” performance.

Taisha Bethea

No country in her pipes tonight. The young rocker performs Alanis Morissette and Johnny Cash for the indecisive judges. The lead singer of an alternative group gets the “interesting” label from the judges, but after a split decision, Urban breaks the tie and sends the singer off to Hollywood.

Summer Cunningham

The singer puts country twang in “Lean on Me” putting her best “soulful country” forward. But, Urban wants to know more about her sound.

“I did the country thing,” Summer tells the judge. This makes Keith Urban visibly irritated. He seemed close to denying her a golden ticket but because it’s a voice competition, Urban put aside his annoyance and vote to send the singer to Hollywood. The hesitation by the judges rightfully annoys Minaj.

“Why are we picking her apart because of the country comment?” ask Minaj. “We’re scaring her into lying.” The judges insistence on talking about the twang, the yodeling and her sound leads to Minaj versus the judges. Things get so intense that she walks out. While Minaj is definitely a drama queen, she was right.

Brandy Hamilton

Hamilton can sing and light up a room, so the four judges send the Army reservists to Hollywood.

Ashley “Blondie” Smith

Is she a gimmick? Will she fail? Nope. The blonde wig and nude lipstick who left us all confused by her look did an amazing rendition of “Cowboy Casanova.”

Arthur does a medley to show her range and Urban loves it. “It’s gorgeous, baby,” he tells the Arthur.

Rodney Barber

The boss of Charlotte does a performance of “I’ll Be” and the powerful vocals and backstory gets the singer a gold ticket to the next round. “I had experience with you because what you’ve been through,” said Carey. Wait. What?

Candice Glover

Randy declared it the best audition. Minaj being Minaj takes it a step farther. She tells the contestant, “I want to skin you and wear you,” Minaj tells the contestant. “I’m not even worthy to critique you.”

The last contestant, Seretha Guinn, tells a tale of how she nearly lost her fiance. When the young performer does says she’s performing “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” we all gave an epic side eye. But, surprisingly it was cool, different, unique, jazzy and just a bowl of awesome sauce. She rocked. She’s going to Hollywood!